Wednesday, July 30, 2008

In this issue:

-Celebrate sisterhood with heartwarming tales.
-Relive Agatha Christie history with these re-released titles.
-Watch these groundbreaking early films by some of the world's first filmmakers.

A big thanks to all of those who attended Digipalooza!

OverDrive's Open Training Month -- September 2008. Staff knowledge is key to a successful 'Virtual Branch'. Don't miss out, spaces are filling fast. Register Now!

About My Sisters

As her hippie parents criss-crossed the globe, Debra, the oldest of five children, formed indelible bonds with her three sisters that last to this day. Separated by fifteen years among them, Debra and her sisters represent two different generations, each one of them having something to teach the other. Debra and Maya (the next oldest) became not only babysitters, but also playmates, problem solvers, teachers and surrogate mothers to the youngest two. And the shared experience of being the children of an unconventional, dope-smoking, non-career oriented, nomadic couple bonded them even more.

About My Sisters examines these bonds through the prism of the events of that year, revealing not only a "different" family, but also a unique and amazing relationship that has weathered many storms but never foundered. The four sisters (as well as their parents and brother) still live within ten miles of one another and share meals, holidays, joys, pains, and babysitting duties with an astounding frequency. This is a heart-warming, funny, and poignant look at a family that's much like the one we all wish we had...

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How to Really Stink at Golf

As a longtime golfer, Jeff Foxworthy has learned something important about the grand auld game: It's not who has the highest score, it's who has the least fun playing it. And now, in his hilarious primer How to Really Stink at Golf, Foxworthy shares his invaluable tips for a lifetime of horrible drives and putts.

. Get into the right frame of mind to play truly awful golf. Food poisoning or a killer hangover might be just the ticket to a robust three-digit score.

. Try to get to the course promptly at tee time to avoid the hassle of warming up: "You're only gonna hit five good shots in the course of the day; why waste even one on the driving range?"

. The surefire way to screw up a great drive? As you walk to the tee, keep telling yourself, "Don't screw up your drive." If bad golf's your goal, stress is your best friend. Avoid fun. "Fun = relaxed = low scores . . . and that's something we want to avoid at all cost. If you have a good hole, shake it off."

. Perhaps the most important element: Embrace the fact that you do stink at golf.

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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

A gothic tale becomes all too shockingly real in this mesmerizing magnum opus by the acclaimed author of FEED. It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother -- a princess in exile from a faraway land -- are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments -- and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today. Winner of the National Book Award.

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Murder at the Vicarage

Miss Marple, the beloved busybody sleuth, is introduced in this first-ever mystery to feature her brilliant talents. This ordinary, small-town spinster triumphs over the best brains of Scotland Yard! Everyone, even the vicar, said the death of Colonel Protheroe would be a service to the world. Pushy, pretentious, and pompous, the colonel annoyed, frightened, and outraged almost everyone in St. Mary Mead. So when he is found shot, no one is terribly surprised. In fact, most residents are pleased, and nearly everyone in town is a suspect: his daughter, his second wife, the artist enamored with both of them, the poacher. even the vicar. The murder even has two people insisting on taking credit for it themselves. Into this uproar of a crime and its aftermath, Miss Marple steps carefully and shrewdly. With her uncanny cleverness and annoying meddling, the sharp-eyed spinster fits the nearly endless pieces of the puzzle together and succeeds in trapping the murderer.

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Lost on Planet China

Maarten Troost has charmed legions of readers with his laugh-out-loud tales of wandering the remote islands of the South Pacific. When the travel bug hit again, he decided to go big-time, taking on the world's most populous and intriguing nation. In Lost on Planet China, Troost escorts readers on a rollicking journey through the new beating heart of the modern world, from the megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the Gobi Desert and the hinterlands of Tibet.

Lost on Planet China finds Troost dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai; eating Yak in Tibet; deciphering restaurant menus; visiting with Chairman Mao; and hiking (with 80,000 other people) up Tai Shan, China's most revered mountain. But in addition to his trademark gonzo adventures, the book also delivers a telling look at a vast and complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think. As Troost shows, while we may be familiar with Yao Ming or dim sum or the cheap, plastic products that line the shelves of every store, the real China remains a world-indeed, a planet--unto itself.

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How to Win at College

College. You've been hearing about it and planning for years, and now at last it's finally here. You've taken the SATs, written the perfect admissions essay, and packed your bags. Now what?

How to Win at College is a must-have road map for making the most of the next four years: how to ace your classes, choose the best activities, assume leadership positions, befriend the right professors, and channel your interests into resume-building projects that will make you stand out from the crowd.

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Everybody Else

1. Meat Market

2. Faker

3. I Gotta Run

4. In Memorium

5. Born to Do

6. Rich Girls, Poor Girls

7. Makeup

8. Without You

9. Say Goodbye

10. The Longest Hour of my Life

11. Button for Punishment

12. Alone in the World

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Man With The Movie Camera

Described by director Dziga Vertov as an experiment in the language of pure cinema, The Man With the Movie Camera is perhaps the most dazzling and sophisticated, not only of Soviet, but of world silent cinema. In part it is a "city symphony," although its urban landscape is actually a film synthesis of shots taken in Moscow, Kiev, Odessa and elsewhere. In part, it is a panorama of and a manifesto on the nature of socialist society in the late 1920s. But it is especially a revelation of the possibilities of non-acted, non-fiction films: We see the cinema projectionist show the reel we are actually viewing; the "star" is the film's actual cameraman at work; the shots we see him take will reappear elsewhere as we see the film editor create emotional and intellectual moments from unrelated lengths of footage. Music by the Alloy Orchestra.

OverDrive is proud to welcome:

Starz Media: A full service production and distribution supplier offering films such as 'Eloise,' animated 'Hellboy,' and 'Masters of Horror' series now available.

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